A chalk drawing created in the 1980s may have been a terrifying premonition of the tragic events of 9/11.

The decades old artwork shows a forlorn young girl flanked by two jet planes and twin towers swamped by flames, but many have expressed disbelief that it was drawn more than 10 years before the atrocity.

Its creator Willie Gardner died on November 27 last year at the age of 78, making it impossible to know exactly what inspired him.

His artwork shows the falling locks of the child’s hair spiralling downwards, which looks like fire and smoke billowing into the sky from one of the towers.